2010 NCCU Volleyball Tournament Schedule
Match Notes - Sept. 24-25
DURHAM, N.C. – North Carolina Central University (2-13) will return to the confines of home this weekend, Sept. 24-25, to host its fourth annual NCCU Volleyball Tournament, which will feature talent from East Tennessee State University, Hampton University, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and South Carolina State University in a two-day event at McDougald-McLendon Gym in Durham.
The Eagles will host this tournament for the fourth time in program history. The tournament was born in 2007, which was head coach Georgette Crawford-Crooks’ second season at the helm of the program. NCCU has soared to success at this tournament, standing with an impressive 9-2 mark and two consecutive second-place finishes.
NCCU will open tournament play with Atlantic Sun-member ETSU at 3 p.m. before concluding day one action with South Carolina Sate at 7 p.m. The Eagles will open up Saturday play with Hampton at 1 p.m. before concluding the tournament with Maryland Eastern Shore at 5 p.m.
NCCU has faced three Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opponents so far this season with battles against Delaware State, Hampton and South Carolina State. With three MEAC opponents appearing in this weekend’s action, the Eagles look to take control of their conference foes as they currently stand with a 1-2 mark against the MEAC this season. The Eagles’ first win as a MEAC member came against Delaware State on Aug. 28.
Coming into this weekend’s matchup, the Eagles should feel pretty confident as they hold series advantages over two of the four teams competing in the two-day event. The Eagles hold a 6-1 advantage over Hampton with their only loss coming just last weekend at the South Carolina State Spikefest, while also holding a 6-2 lead over South Carolina State. ETSU holds a 1-0 advantage over the Eagles in their series history with their last meeting taking place in 2007. NCCU has never defeated Maryland Eastern Shore as the Hawks hold a 4-0 lead in the series.
The Eagles enter this weekend with a 2-13 mark following a hard fought battle Tuesday night, where they fell 3-0 to the Camels of Campbell University by scores of 26-24, 25-11 and 25-23 in the John W. Pope, Jr. Convocation Center. It was a match that forced Campbell to fight from behind as they trailed in two of the three sets.
NCCU power hitter Belinda Behncke-Biney has been on fire lately and has proven to be unstoppable as she has notched double-figure kills in five consecutive matches, including a career-high 21 kills against The Citadel. She leads the team in kills with 148 and service aces with 14, while standing third in digs with 88.
Contributing to Behncke-Biney’s success is freshman setter Jzima-Malaki Kalao, who has dished 333 of the Eagles’ 378 assists. She is also a major contributor on defense with 79 digs and 18 blocks. Junior Sashalee Wallen has stepped up her game this season and has become a threat on both sides of the net with 53 kills and a team-high 39 blocks. Her counterpart is freshman middle hitter Kalin Russell with 35 blocks.
Leading the Eagles’ defensive efforts is junior defensive specialist Raven King with 144 digs on the season. She is assisted by junior outside hitter Alexis John with 98. King and John combine for 242 of the Eagles’ 554 digs.
As a team, NCCU has amassed 423 kills and 360 errors on 1,536 attempts for a .041 hitting percentage. They also have 378 assists and 61 service aces. Defensively, they have totaled 554 digs and 94.5 total blocks on the year.
ETSU is one of the toughest teams coming to Durham this weekend as they hold a 10-5 record, having won four of their last five contests. The Buccaneers are an edgy team with a lot of strength and versatility. They contain a powerful defensive game with 776 digs and 142 blocks this season, which is led solely by middle hitter Alysa Long with 71 blocks, including 13 solo. She is also one of the offensive leaders for ETSU with 135 kills, while hitting .318 on the year.
Off the net, the Bucs’ defense is led by Kiley Tamblyn with 243 digs. She is one of three Buccaneer players to record over 100 digs this season. On offense, ETSU is anchored by Megan Devine with 154 kills. She is assisted by Whitney Coburn with 557 dishes and 17 service aces. As a team, the Bucs are hitting a .178 with 727 kills and have dropped in 81 aces from behind the service line.
Hampton, on the other hand, is looking to turn its season around as the 2010 season started off on a rocky road for the Pirates, who lost 14-straight matches, but their luck may be changing. The momentum seems to be on their side as they come into the weekend, following their first win of the season on Sept. 18 against NCCU.
Hampton is 1-14 on the year and is led by local native Aaryn Harrison, who is the Pirates’ offensive threat with 113 kills and nine service aces. She is also second in blocks with 26. Her offensive contributor is Lihi Elkayam with 249 dishes. Defensively, the Pirates are led by Ivana Suput, the libero, with 109 digs and Lina Cordoba with 29 blocks. As a whole, the Pirates have collected 78.5 blocks this season.
The Hawks of Maryland Eastern Shore are thirsty for a little more of the taste of victory as they started off on a slow battle, losing their first three matches in five sets. UMES went the first eight matches without a win, which is tough for a team that usually sits among the top of the conference. Lately, the tide has turned for the Hawks as they have won four of their last five.
Maryland Eastern Shore stands at 5-8 on the season as they are led by the duo of Zoe Bowens and Maline Vaitai with 167 kills apiece. As a team, UMES has 590 kills and is hitting .194 on the year. Stephanie Sierra has dished 431 assists to lead the team, while Rebecca Prado and Sierra share defensive duties with 111 and 100 digs, respectively. On the net, UMES is led by freshman Kaveigna Lea'Aetoa with 39 of the Hawks’ 75.5 blocks.
South Carolina State hasn’t won many so far hit season, but their scrappiness on both offense and defense has kept them in many matches as they hold a 4-12 mark coming into this weekend’s action. They started out on a skid with a 1-10 record, having lost nine-in-a-row, but lately they seem to be on target with three wins in their last five matches.
The trio of Shabree Roberson, Elizabeth Webb and Desire Waller is what keeps the Bulldog offense going as they combine for 238 of SCSU’s 622 kills. Roberson has 119 kills and is hitting .229 on the year. She pulls double duty as she leads the team in blocks with 47. Melissa Robinson leads the defensive efforts with 165 digs, followed by Bria Brimmer with 123. Brimmer is also the assists leader with 494.
SCSU is hitting .139 on the year and has totaled 570 assists, 69 service aces, 630 digs and 100.0 blocks.
For more information on Eagles Volleyball or for up-to-date scores and statistics, visit the official website of NCCU Athletics at www.NCCUEaglePride.com.
